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NIFA awards funding for animal health and production research

WASHINGTON, D.C. (USDA Release) Feb. 2, 2010 - USDA's National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $24 million in grants to study animal
heath, reproduction, breeding, genetics and nutrition. The agriculture
animal industry plays a crucial role in the success and growth of the
nation's economy, accounting for 42 percent of forecast U.S.
agricultural receipts in 2009.

"The agriculture animal industry faces increasing challenges from animal
diseases, reduced fertility, low nutrition and growth and non-tariff
trade barriers," said Roger Beachy, NIFA director. "These grants will
help the United States maintain a strong, internationally-competitive
animal agriculture industry and lead to safer and more affordable animal
products."

NIFA awarded these grants through four program areas of the Agriculture
and Food Research Initiative (AFRI): Animal Reproduction Program; Animal
Genome, Genetics, and Breeding Program; Animal Growth and Nutrient
Utilization Program; and Integrated Solutions for Animal Agriculture
Program. AFRI funds research, education, and extension grants and
integrated research, extension, and education grants that address key
problems of national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining
all components of agriculture.

Animal programs at NIFA address several critical issues, including
children's health, food safety, international food security, and
environmental protection. They help reduce childhood obesity and
improving human nutrition by providing higher quality sources of animal
protein with reduced fat contents while making efforts to reduce the
dependency of the feeding and use of antibiotics and hormones to
domestic animals. The programs also work to ensure a safer food supply
by targeting the reduction in pre-harvest food borne pathogens.

Furthermore, they contribute significantly to international food
security by supporting research to reduce the incidence of diseases in
animals and improving the production efficiency of agriculturally
important animals. Finally, these programs play a critical role in
global climate change and environmental stewardship by promoting the
reduction of green house gases emissions, the release of nitrogen and
phosphorus into the environment through improved systems of livestock
management and more efficient use of nutrients fed to animals.

Fiscal Year 2009 grants were awarded to:

Animal Reproduction Program

Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $125,000

Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $340,000

Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $349,082

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $349,260

Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., $315,000

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $349,782

North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., $10,000

North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., $28,633

North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., $320,000

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $325,000

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $349,503

University of Texas, Austin, Texas, $325,000

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $338,086

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $349,287

University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Texas,
$124,610

West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.V., $337,835

West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.V., $330,000

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., $25,000

Animal Genome, Genetics, and Breeding Program

Auburn University, Auburn, Ala., $800,000

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., $970,000

University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $388,343

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill., $10,000

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, $449,939

Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, Md., $341,755

Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, Md., $625,000

Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, Md., $749,975

University of Maryland, College Park, Md., $681,145

Agricultural Research Service, USDA, East Lansing, Mich., $625,000

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $443,491

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $689,921

University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $10,000

University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $130,000

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $749,502

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $450,000

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $597,902

Utah State University, Logan, Utah, $930,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, Va.,
$908,280

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., $449,747

Animal Growth and Nutrient Utilization Program

Auburn University, Auburn, Ala., $348,836

University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., $349,326

California State University, Fresno, Calif., $349,560

University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Fla., $350,000

University of Idaho, Moscow, Id., $137,829

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, $349,421

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., $149,707

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $349,983

Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $350,000

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., $125,000

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $349,476

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $349,992

South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., $319,883

Utah State University, Logan, Utah, $260,987

West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.V., $350,000

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., $10,000

Integrated Solutions for Animal Agriculture Program

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,000,000

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill., $900,000

University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $470,894

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $629,106

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., $1,000,000

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and
extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving
critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future.
For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov .